1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a short-range wireless communication technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to a short-range wireless communication apparatus and method for establishing a connection between devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A short-range wireless communication typically refers to a communication for the exchange of information between information processing devices at a short distance from each, using a radio wave as a transmission medium of information. In the past, a short-range communication was a wired communication that requires a wired connection between communication devices. However, due to some advancement in wireless communication, and the associated advantages such as mobility, easiness of installation and expansion, etc., a short-range wireless communication is widely used nowadays.
Known as examples of a short-range wireless communication protocols include Bluetooth, NFC (Near Field Communication), ZigBee, RuBee, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), and the like. Nowadays, data transmission/reception technologies using the above-mentioned short-range wireless communication are increasingly popularized.
For instance, Bluetooth technology is currently used in several fields including a Bluetooth-based data transmission, and audio transmission using a Bluetooth earphone, a Bluetooth earset, and a Bluetooth-based device control, as well as video transmission.
When a user selects a Bluetooth function in a device that supports Bluetooth operation and the particular function, the device displays a list of peripheral Bluetooth devices that can potentially communicate with the user. A user selects one of the displayed devices, and the device performs a Bluetooth communication through a connection with the selected device. This type of display and selection is adequate when there are not many of Bluetooth devices within communication range. However, as the number of Bluetooth available devices including various mobile devices continues to increase, or the user is in an area such as a stadium or train station where there could be hundreds of users with Bluetooth devices nearby, the aforementioned method of looking at the list of users and selecting may often cause many problems. That is, too many Bluetooth devices will make it difficult to identify and select a desired one of them. Additionally, since the list of peripheral Bluetooth devices normally uses a Bluetooth address or name only, similar or same addresses or names may often give a user inconvenience in selecting a desired device.
This problem is not limited to Bluetooth devices and may occur even in any other short-range wireless communication devices.